A constant theme of this column of the last few months has focused on skills and people and I make no apology for that given it is probably the most important issue facing our economy. Unfortunately, it is still not being taken seriously enough by politicians and policymakers within the UK Government or the devolved administrations with significant knock-on effects for the economy and the labour market.
We know that vacancy rates remain high across the UK with more than 40% of employers finding it difficult to fill jobs. Yet, at the same time, 35% of workers feel they do not have the skills necessary to undertake their current role, never mind the jobs of the future.
Given this, it is no surprise that productivity rates remain shockingly low within the UK and that the economy is stagnating rather than growing.
